Tips for Navigating Healthcare in Prison

By Chad Miller
From PHN Issue 55, Winter 2024

Please inform your readers that the point and purpose of federal laws like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are to protect you and your privacy.

Note: I have found when I deal with medical staff concerning my health, records, or services, I throw acronyms like “HIPAA” or “ADA” around and things begin to happen, such as appointments to be seen. I encourage all incarcerated readers to contact your law librarian, counselor or ombudsman at your institution and learn the standard operating procedures to get the staff to perform well. They hold us to a standard; I hold them to the written standards.

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It Happens More Than It’s Talked About

By T King
Coeffield Unit, Texas
April 2021

First, let me say Thank you so much, you guys are Awesome for what you do for us locked away.

I’m writing to get your take on an issue that happens more than it is talked about.

My name is T. King & I’m a lifer on the Coffield unit in Texas. The largest & one of the oldest joints in the Lone Star State. Being a maximum-security unit, movement is restricted, understandably, so you’re either locked in your cell or the day room & now during COVID-19 it’s 2 hours instead of 1 hour at a time. Sometimes you can get stuck in there 3-5 hours depending on if the count clears in time.

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Living with a Mental Illness

By Russell Auguillard
From PHN Issue 54, Fall 2023

Living with a mental illness often requires a person to create a schedule of activities, groups and therapy. Where you are, you can start now, with groups, therapy and approved programs that are operating through your prison or facilities. One common mental illness a person can be affected by and go through, but not even know that they have it, is antisocial personality disorder. One place they find themselves without even being conscious of it is in the prison system as first, second, or multiple-time offenders. You can do something about it starting today, by first beginning to manage your thoughts, then your life.

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Self-Screening for Testicular Cancer

By Troy Glover
From PHN Issue 54, Fall 2023

Testicular cancer is a rare form of cancer that most commonly, but not only, affects men aged 15 to 35. Those who are among the highest risk are people who have an undescended testicle or a family history of testicular cancer. This rare cancer directly affects the testicles but can also cause secondary effects. Treatment usually involves removing the affected testicle through surgery, but chemotherapy may be required alongside surgery in some cases. If the cancer has spread, additional treatment may be needed to treat the secondary cancers.

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Top Five Tips for a Healthy Mouth

By Leo Cardez
From PHN Issue 54, Fall 2023

As I look around my inmate community, I see too many of us with rotting teeth. Some of that is due to genetics and age, and some of it is due to lack of real dental care and professional cleanings, but it is mostly because of our own lack of dental hygiene and care. Most of us should already know the basic dental care. Therefore, I am only going to cover a few tips:

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The End of the Covid Public Health Emergency: NEW APPROACHES TO AN ONGOING PANDEMIC

By Kirby Sokolow
From PHN Issue 54, Fall 2023

On May 5, 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the COVID-19 pandemic “no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).” Days later, the U.S.’s federal public health emergency (PHE) also ended.

These announcements left the world wondering: What does it mean to end a public health emergency? Do the two declarations mean the same thing? Is COVID finally “over”?

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Scabies: THE ANTI-LOVE BUG

By Anonymous
From PHN Issue 54, Fall 2023

Scabies is sadly a fairly common occurrence in the crowded conditions of prisons. Prison officials will state cleanliness or hygiene, but transmission of scabies usually occurs through direct and prolonged skin-to-skin contact, as may occur among family members or sexual partners. Casual skin contact is unlikely to result in transmission.

Scabies is the infestation of the skin by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis. Scabies infestations result in intense itching, most notably at night, with wavy and slightly scaly lines from 2 mm to 1.5 cm in length that end in dark bumps where the mite may be visible. Prisoners with dark skin tones may find it harder to detect scabies infestations. Burrows may not be easily visible if the individual has been scratching the area. Classically, scabies affects the spaces between fingers, flexural areas of the wrist or elbow, and folds of skin on the buttocks and beltline.

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Breast Reconstruction Victory

By Lori McLuckie
From PHN Issue 54, Fall 2023

Dear Prison Health News,

Thank you very much for your letter in response to my inquiry about breast reconstruction after mastectomy.

Since I wrote that letter to you, a minor miracle has occurred: The Colorado Department of Corrections has made the decision to provide coverage for my reconstruction process. This decision was made in April 2022. Since then, I have had a consultation with the plastic surgeon, I’ve had the first surgery to install the expanders (the surgery occurred on Sept. 12, 2022), and I’ve begun the expansion process.

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Cancer Screening for Transgender and Gender-Diverse People

By Lily H-A
From PHN Issue 54, Fall 2023

The goal of cancer screening is to catch cancer early, when it is more treatable and curable. Some cancer screenings, like colonoscopies, are recommended for everybody once they reach a certain age. However, other types of screening, like prostate screening and mammograms, have traditionally been recommended based on gender assuming that this matches sex assigned at birth. The medical guidelines for cancer screening do not yet reflect the needs of trans people, and there is also limited data about trans people’s risks for various cancers and how gender-affirming care like hormones and surgeries may affect these risks. As a general rule, University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Transgender Care recommends that people get cancer screenings based on the body parts they have, regardless of gender or hormones.

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Transgender Housing & Safety

This infographic was created by service learning students at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia.